Over now?
Posted by Anja on August 4, 2008 at 19:40 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:41Added the last dose of medication on Saturday. Yesterday I did a 50% water change, added carbon to the filter and set the temp two degrees lower. So far things are looking good, but I won’t breathe relief until I’ve had my first two weeks without a relapse. Incredibly, the cory baby (lower right corner) never missed a beat.
Tags: breeding, Corydoras paleatus, ich | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Over now? | Permalink
Update
Posted by Anja on July 28, 2008 at 19:39 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:40While I’m still medicating and doing daily water changes, everyone looks a lot happier and healthier. The fins on the cories, which had been a bit ragged looking are hale and smooth again, and everyone’s active and eating like they got paid for it.
For some weird reason the diamonds refuse to recognize the NLS pellets as food. They’re always the first waiting when I open the lid and gobble up flakes and chase after bloodworms like lightening, but the pellets sail by them like so many grains of sand. Well, the catfish sure appreciate them.
Tags: ich | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Update | PermalinkIt’s not over
Posted by Anja on July 20, 2008 at 19:37 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:39Well, seems like the diamond’s lost for good. I never found him. The glowlight was dead yesterday morning, and the day before I had discovered a new spot on one of the cories. So Friday I took a trip to my trusty LFS and cried them a river. The guy listened, asked some informed questions and recommended a different dechlorinator with my ich medication, but said otherwise to keep doing what I was doing, sometimes ich just took a second swipe. So yesterday I started treating again, this time without salt and with the temperature not as high as I had it the first time.
Also, cudgeling my brain for what else was going on (if the water didn’t test pristine every time, I would almost have suspected the dead tetras to have had ammonia poisoning from the descriptions I read).
I removed the pothos that was hanging in the tank and growing merrily in there. I had read up on it before allowing it in there and been told that lots of people grow it in their tanks without adverse effects, which is probably true as long as none of the sap is released. It seems that that can be an irritant to cats and dogs, and it might have been an additional stresser every time a leaf broke off or the fish nibbled on it. Anyway, I took it out yesterday and did a 50% WC, and the fish seem a lot happier this morning, eagerly going after their food. Even the neon that still keeps mostly to himself joined the fray.
So, I’m only guessing here as to reasons, but as far as I’m concerned, the only non-aquarium plants that go in my tank from now on are the ones I’m ready to eat.
Tags: ich, Pothos | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on It’s not over | PermalinkConvalescent
Posted by Anja on July 16, 2008 at 19:34 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:36Now that temps are back to normal and meds and salt levels decreasing due to daily water changes, all the catfish are their perky selves again.
The tetras are taking a little longer to get back on their fins, so to speak. Though most of them are acting normal, they’re still not eating as greedily as I was used to before the outbreak.
And I have three that are not well. One of the neons hangs perfectly still and by himself in the shadow by the heater, one diamond keeps coming to the surface for air and one glowlight is bloated and not eating. For the moment I’m keeping up the daily water changes, and hope that it’ll bring relief. Without any recognizable symptoms and all three seemingly with different difficulties, I don’t really know what else to do.
Tags: ich | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Convalescent | PermalinkIch
Posted by Anja on July 14, 2008 at 19:32 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:34Been battling a nasty strain of ich these past weeks, lost a glowlight and three neon tetras and quite a bit of courage. I can only hope it’s over now. What brought it on I don’t know. The diamond tetras I bought last never seemed to have gotten it.
I can only guess that the stress of varying temperatures, summer heatwave vs. cooler days and nights brought it out. I’ll try keeping the temperature a little higher than I had it in the spring so the temp’s more constant. Maybe that’ll help. We’ll see. Meanwhile I closely supervise the survivors and count them even more obsessively every morning than I used to. Miraculously the cory baby took it all in stride.
The shrimp and snails seem fine in their exile bowl with daily water changes.
Tags: ich | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Ich | PermalinkAssassins
Posted by Anja on June 29, 2008 at 19:31 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:32Came home with four assassin snails today. We’ll see if they can make a dent in the pond snail population. They’re quite pretty with brown and yellow bands.
Tags: Clea helena | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Assassins | PermalinkTank full
Posted by Anja on June 23, 2008 at 19:29 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:31Added 3 ghost shrimp
… and 6 diamond tetras today
… and consider the tank fully stocked now. Water quality remains good, but I’m toying with the idea of getting a larger filter and putting this one on the 10 gallon I’m planning for the WCMM when they have to come out of the pond in the fall. We’ll see.
Tags: chemistry, Moenkhausia pittieri, Palaemonetes, plans | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Tank full | PermalinkBaby?
Posted by Anja on June 20, 2008 at 19:27 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:28I’d seen my peppered cories lay a very few eggs after the last heat wave subsided, but as the tetras are eating them as fast as they come, I didn’t think anything of it. This morning as I was making sure everyone shows up for feeding, I saw a tiny movement at the mouth of the cave out of the corner of my eye, and sure enough, a teensy tiny cory baby is down there munching happily along the rocks. My very first fish baby. I must confess, I’m pretty excited.
Unfortunately it’s way to quick for me to catch it on camera. I’ll keep trying, though.
Tags: breeding, Corydoras paleatus | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Baby? | PermalinkDisappearance
Posted by Anja on June 19, 2008 at 19:26 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:27I’ve been counting only nine neons for the last 2 or three days, even at feeding. Didn’t find any bodies, but it is odd, to say the least.
Tags: Paracheirodon innesi | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Disappearance | PermalinkNeons
Posted by Anja on June 4, 2008 at 19:24 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:26Picked up 2 more peppered cories today, roughly the same size as the four I already have. And I finally got my neons; ten little guys:
I drip acclimated them for two hours and so far they seem ok. I guess the next couple of days will show how they weathered the transition. From what I heard from other aquarists, they can react quite badly to changes in their water parameters, so I’m a bit wary. I guess time will tell.
The cories were adopted into the tribe almost immediately. At first it was easy to tell them apart, because they were so much lighter in color, but they’re adapting to their darker surroundings quite nicely, and pretty soon I won’t know who’s the newbie anymore.
Tags: Corydoras paleatus, Paracheirodon innesi | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Neons | Permalink